Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage, also known as Berserk Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc: Chapter of the Lost Flowers in japan, is a video game for the Sega Dreamcast based on the popular Berserk manga by Kentaro Miura. It takes place anywhere between volumes 22 and volume 23 of the Berserk manga; right after Guts and Puck depart for Elfhelm with Casca, but before Farnese, Serpico and Isidro catch up with them. The music is composed by Susumu Hirasawa, who also composed the anime series' music. Plot Summary Guts, Casca and Puck entered a town and encountered a group of performers being attacked by bandits. Guts helped out the young female performer named Rita. The performing group consists of Rita, An older man, a large quiet man, and a dog. Guts sensed and suspected that the large man may be a demon though he didn't act upon his instinct. Rita invited Guts to go see her performance. Convinced by Puck, Guts headed toward the town. In town, they saw Rita's performance. Then the large man named "Job" was a part of the show as a strongman. While swinging a huge weapon, he tripped the villagers, then realized that Job's possessed by a monster known as the Mandragora and started throwing stones at him. Job then transformed into a Mandragora monster and killed several town people. The monster headed toward Casca and Guts place where the monster fought with Guts to his death. Rita got angry at Guts for killing her buddy. At that moment a chariot arrived. A baron Balzac was introduced. He's there to inspect the Mandragora monster. Balzac explained about the Mandragora and the symptoms of those who got infected. He claimed he might be able to cure Casca and offered Guts to come to his castle. Rita, however, was taken by the soldiers. Balzac asked Guts to come alone to his secret lab while Casca and Puck was wandering about the Castle where they found a painting of a beautiful lady. Balzac told Guts how the Mandragora disease got spread. He explained that at the edge of town lives a nun named Eriza, who is the Mandragora main supporter. He also told Guts how Casca can be cured by using the Mandragora's heart extract. He said he has the partial heart but that's not enough to cure Casca. He then told Guts that the full heart can be retrieved from that nun. Balzac offered a proposition to Guts that he'll cure Casca once Guts gave him the Mandragora's heart. Though suspicious, Guts agreed to get the heart for the sake of his love, Casca. Rita was brought to the castle to be slain. Casca and Puck came and saw what was about to happen. At that time the castle was attacked by a group of resistant. The resistant killed the soldiers who were harming Rita and continued raiding the castle. A foot solider went on to report to Baron Balzac. Balzac then excused himself to attend the emergency. Puck flew in and reported what just happened to Casca. They hurried out and found Rita's dog that led a way to the resisting group. A man named Dunteth introduced himself with Rita and told Guts that Rita almost got killed by Balzac's underlings. Dunteth explained his motive why he attacked the castle. The reason of the raid was to release his comrades from Balzac's human-mandragora experiment. Dunteth also said that Balzac once was a good leader who did not oppress town people but everything changed ever since the disease started to spread. Guts asked for Casca and Dunteth showed the way down to meet Casca. Guts told them he will go get Mandragora's heart as promised to Balzac. Dunteth joined in with Guts to go to that town to retrieve the heart. Leaving Casca, Puck, and Rita behind Guts and Dunteth went on to the Mandragora town. While Guts was out, Balzac's adviser attacked the hideout place and captured Casca. Rita was able to escape. At the Mandragora town, one solider picked up a Mandragora tree, which made other Mandragora monsters angry. Dunteth was killed by one single swipe. A nun came out and calmed the fight down. She introduced herself as Eriza. At the same time, Rita ran out and told Guts what had just happened to Casca. Guts rushed to the nun and asked for heart of the Mandragora. The nun then told a story of an innocent boy name Niko and his death. (The picture of Niko's death depicts Niko holding on to a Behelit) She asked why the boy has to die. She said the Mandragoras are happier since they don't have to face with pride, sadness, anger, and ambition. Guts didn't care and said he's here for the heart no matter what. Then the nun fled from Guts. In the castle jail where Casca's imprisoned, Puck came and tried to rescue her. The night has arrived, and spirits started to appear around Caska. Then! The ceiling of the prison was broken and appeared Nosferatu Zodd. Zodd simply said "You're that branded swordsman's woman. Ha ha. Then he must be nearby. Interesting! Something else fun to do! I'll eat you later, little girl" and just flew off. Puck and Casca were able to escape from the prison. They met up with a girl they thought to be Balzac's daughter. The girl has similar symptoms with Casca, mindless and insane. Casca and Puck then went into a secret room where the partial Mandragora's heart was stored. While Balzac came into the room, she picked up the heart and the heart began to regenerate on her. At the Mandragora village, Guts and Rita went into the church where the nun had fled into and found an underground passage that leads to the heart of the Great Tree this time Guts went down alone. There he met Eriza as a Mandragora monster and the heart of the Mandragora tree (Niko). Guts fought with the two monsters and cut down the Mandragora tree. But the nun Eriza was able to get a hold of the heart and started running to the surface where she found her town (Mandragora) people were killed by Balzac's advisor, Gyove, who led a band of foot soldiers and a Mandragora monster soldier. She was sad and decided to commit suicide by running herself and the heart into the burning church. There she dropped a little pendant, the blue Behelit that Rita picked up later. Right before Gyove could command anything, Zodd dropped down from the sky and killed the Mandragora-soldier and Gyove's men. Gyove and the rest fled Zodd with fear. Zodd and Guts then engaged in a conversation about Griffith and his motive to raise an army of monsters. Then they fought ferociously but could not determine the winner. Zodd excused himself and took off. After the Mandragora's tree was destroyed, the villagers turned to normal. But now with sorrow, they blame on Guts that he murdered their sons/daughters/relatives. Guts left the scene without a word. While Rita simply thought to herself: "They were so happy. Before we came." Back in town, Puck reported the Casca incident with the Mandragora's heart to Guts. They hurried in, they met with the other insane lady and took her along. Baron Balzac was in the room, wondering how the girl got there. Rita asked why the baron turned bad, Balzac replied at the time when he was younger he had people to protect, someone to love but those became his burden. He said he had a dying wife who couldn't recover. Rita asked back that wasn't a daughter enough to make him happy. Balzac then said the girl is not his daughter but was the dying wife whom he kept alive by using the Mandragora's heart extract. He also said that though she'd remain like this for the rest of her life, his wife would never be able to remember past things with him. With that, he took the Mandragora's heart extract for him to be strong enough to fight with Guts. Guts defeated Balzac and hurried out and continued to look for Casca. At this hurry moment, Rita unknowingly dropped the Behelit pendant to the floor where Balzac was dying. He found Casca, who was swallowed up in a giant Mandragora tree. He fought ferociously with the giant tree and was able to save Casca from it. While the Mandragora possession power still active, Casca was able to recognize Guts but soon she went back to her crazy self. Puck just quietly explained "She went back to normal because she was possessed by the Mandragora. It makes sane people crazy, but crazy people sane." The Behelit got activated by the baron ho had chosen his new fate by sacrificing his wife. He turned into a huge beast wielding two large battle axes. Guts had the final fight with this newly anointed Behelit Apostle. After the defeat of this fiend, the town went back to normal, but not without sorrow. Guts and Puck bid farewell to Rita and continue their journey with Casca. Cast & Crew Voice Director: *Kris Zimmerman English cast: *Michael Bell- Guts *Cam Clarke- Puck *B. J. Ward (actress)|B. J. Ward- Casca/Erica *Paula Tiso-Rita/Annette *Susan Blakeslee- Duneth’s Wife *Paul Eiding- Duneth/Gyove *Earl Boen- Balzac *Peter Lurie- Zodd Voice Director: * Yoshio Togiya Japanese cast: * Nobutoshi Canna- Guts * Yuriko Fuchizaki- Puck * Yuko Miyamura- Casca * Yuri Shiratori- Rita * Kenji Utsumi- Balzac * Kenji Utsumi- Zodd Nosferatu * Sumi Shimamoto- Annette * Sumi Shimamoto- Eriza * Yasuhiko Tokuyama- Gyove * Takahiro Yoshimizu- Dunteth Soundtrack External links *[http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/198872.asp Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage] at Game Rankings. Category:Video Games